Thrive: Spotlight Denise St. Omer
10.20.2020
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LISC StoriesThrive: Spotlight
As the world navigates COVID-19, LISC Greater Kansas City believes it is important to honor those difference makers in our community - essential organizations and individuals that have stepped up to continue providing critical goods and services to the public. Many have gone above and beyond by continuing to work and volunteer in the midst of these challenging times. Denise St. Omer, the Vice President of Grantmaking & Inclusion Initiatives at the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation, is making a difference in racial equity in Kansas City.
My work has always been centered in working in the public sector. Both of my parents are immigrants […] and raised my brothers and my sister and I to believe that we had an obligation to try to make sure that other people have the opportunities that we have.
Her time at Greater Kansas City Community Foundation is building on that obligation through racial equity work, focusing on systemic and institutional racism. The presence of COVID-19 exacerbated the already-existing issues, and her work became even more urgent and even more meaningful to her and Kansas City.